After All This Time
by MultiAddie
Summary: Reboot from my old account! Long story short, Percy dumped Annabeth a little bit after the war with Gaea and this is what happens when they meet six years later. Trigger warnings: all forms of abuse, self-harm, sex, colorful language, and violence. Please don't read if you cannot deal with darker themes.
1. Chapter 1

**I got locked out of my old account LeviAckerman13 and wanted to rewrite the story and finish it. Go ahead and read the old version to see my old writing style that I feel the slightest disappointment towards. I don't own Percy Jackson! I only own the non- Rick Riordan characters so enjoy**!

 **Prologue**

"PERCY!"  
"Is it time?!" Perseus Jackson asked his girlfriend, Annabeth, eagerly again for the umpteenth time that day. She shook her head, doubling over in pain.

"Contraction?" He asked. She nodded, raising her head after a moment. Percy walked over to the bed, not noticing the empty pizza box carelessly thrown on the floor, causing him to fall square on his face with an elegant "OOMPH". Annabeth started laughing, causing another jolt of pain from the baby inside her. Percy, not being half as entertained by the ordeal, quickly got back up, sat on the bed and rubbed Annabeth back.

"Do you need anything? Should I call Will? Or Chiron?" Percy inquired.

"Just food right now. I feel like I'm digesting the baby. Of course, I'd get food myself if Will hadn't stuck me on bed rest." She answered, scowling and rubbing her swollen belly.

"What do you want to eat?" Percy asked, tucking a strand of hair behind Annabeth's ear.

"More pasta please." Percy walked out to the kitchen. As soon as she heard the cabinets close she felt the bed sheets beneath her dampen. Then the pain hit her. It was enough to put black dots in her vision.  
"PERCY! THE BABY'S COMING!" Annabeth screamed, clenching her teeth and holding her stomach. She heard glass shatter and shuffling. Percy ran into the room with a bag.

 **Three hours later**

Annabeth was in so much pain, more than she had felt in her lifetime. She felt like she was being torn apart from the inside and nothing Will had given her for the pain was working. Her hand was clenched around Percy's, squeezing hard enough that his hand should have broken. She screamed as she pushed for the last time. Finally, she heard a baby crying and Will shouting at her that it was a girl. Percy leaned down and kissed her sweaty forehead and whispered something she couldn't hear because of the screaming baby.

Percy held her first. Percy handed the baby to Annabeth. The baby immediately stopped crying as Annabeth held her. The baby had tufts of her mother's hair and eyes that were her favorite color, green, and they shined like the sea. Annabeth was suddenly filled with relief. It was Percy's daughter. She felt completeness she hadn't felt since she was seventeen. She looked up at Percy, who had a knowing look. She looked down at the baby, who had fallen asleep, and smiled. She was happy and filled with an emotion she hadn't felt since the Argo II.

 **One year earlier**

Percy Jackson woke up with a wet face and a big brown collie hovering over him. His dog, Zeke, was excitedly wagging his tail wanting his owner to wake up. Percy got up and offered the mass of fur a walk, sending the dog into a frenzy. Percy was half-dressed by the time Zeke had stopped howling and jumping. Percy put on a T-shirt walking out to the kitchen to grab a bagel and Zeke's leash. After putting the leash on Zeke, Percy opened up the back door to the beach and they started their morning.  
After a few minutes of leisurely strolling, Zeke decided he wanted to go for a run, catching Percy by surprise, who fell face first in the sand. Up ahead a dog did the same to her owner, knocking her down. The dogs met up and started wrestling as dogs tend to do. Percy was the first to recover. He'd let go of Zeke's leash when he fell. He got up and went to help the woman up. She was blonde with her curly hair in a ponytail.

"Hey need some help?" He asked, stretching his hand out to help her. She took his hand and got up. She looked him up and down with stormy grey eyes that he swore he recognized. She suddenly took a step backward and stiffened.  
"Uh, thank you." She said, looking at Percy with an intense gaze, her eyebrows knit in concentration.  
"Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." Percy asked, guessing that he looked the same way. She looked a lot like…

"Oh, you look like an old friend of mine..." She replied, looking at him as if he were missing something, smirking. He recognized that look and suddenly it clicked. He grinned.  
"Oh? Well, I'm Seaweed Brain. Nice to meet you." He held out his hand. She grinned and hugged him.  
"This is where you've been all this time?! Oh my gods, Annabeth, I missed you so much." He said into her hair. He hugged her tighter before letting her go.  
"Annabeth! Cherry or lemon?" A man with dark brown hair and icy blue eyes came running over with two smoothies. He eyed Percy suspiciously, sending a spire of fear through him. Percy looked away, breaking the eye contact.  
"Hey, Aaron. This is an old friend, Percy Jackson." Annabeth took the cherry as Aaron and Percy shook hands. She watched the dogs roll around in the sand, looking highly uncomfortable.  
"Zeke, come here boy!" Percy called. The large dog jumped onto Percy knocking him down. Annabeth laughed. Aaron just observed, his icy eyes watching every move like a predator watches its prey.

 **Three Hours Later**

Annabeth and Percy had exchanged phone numbers. She could see Aaron didn't like it. He sat on the couch in the living room watching television as Annabeth stood in front of the bathroom mirror, tears welling in her eyes. She had a frozen bag of peas on her arm in an attempt to keep it from bruising.

There was a knock at the door.  
"Annabeth, come out," Aaron said through the door. She hesitated. There was another hard knock on the door, causing her to jump.

"Annabeth, get out here now," Aaron growled a warning through the door.

Annabeth wiped the tears from her eyes and opened the door. Aaron stood there, anger in his eyes. She felt fear strike her heart and he raised his hand in a fist, causing her to cringe away from him, preparing for the blow. It never came. She looked up, terror showing in her eyes. Aaron was holding onto the door frame, rubbing his forehead. Finally, he looked at her. His eyes held no emotion, causing Annabeth more fear.  
"Why don't you ever cry?" He asked, staring her down. She shook her head.  
"Because I don't. I haven't cried since I was seventeen." She said, her voice wavering with terror. With Aaron, she felt the same. All the time. All she felt was terror. She didn't like it. When she met up with Percy on the beach Annabeth felt completeness inside that she had forgotten existed. She remembered the last time she cried.

" _I was FINE! You didn't have to bring my mom into this!" Percy was livid. Annabeth had seen him angry before but she had never been the subject of his anger. After Tartarus, he had changed drastically. He wasn't her Seaweed Brain anymore. He wouldn't get help himself so she told Sally, hoping she would be able to talk to Percy. When Percy found out, he flipped._

" _You promised you wouldn't tell!" He screamed at her._

" _Why?! We agreed it was better if she didn't know!" He was so angry that his face was turning red. She wasn't scared of him. She knew he wouldn't hurt her, but she knew she had crossed a line. Sally couldn't look at either of them the same. She looked just as broken as they were._

" _Percy, you need help. You've changed so mu-"_

" _YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO TELL MY MOM! HOW CAN YOU NOT GRASP THIS? GET IT THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULL THAT YOU FUCKED UP." He looked at her for a second. His voice dropped to below a whisper. "There is no making this okay. There is no apologies. There is no us. I don't want to look at you again, so just leave." He turned and left her standing in Central Park, tears streaming down her face. Once the shock set in, she began to sob._

 **Three days later**  
'Shit!' Percy thought as he looked at the clock. He was already two minutes late. He put on a clean polo shirt and beige Bermuda shorts. 'Thank the gods it's just down the shore.' Percy was supposed to meet Aaron and Annabeth at 10:00 down the shore. Zeke kept getting in the way so by the time Percy got to the shore, he was fifteen minutes late. Thankfully, they were still there.

 **Meanwhile**

"Annabeth, he's not coming. Let's leave."  
"No. If Percy isn't late, then he's not Percy. He's always been like this. If he's not here in ten minutes we'll go home." She looked over.  
"There he is." Aaron cleared his throat, looking at the new bruise on Annabeth's arm and she put on her sweater. Percy came over and sat down next to Annabeth and shook Aaron's hand.  
"Hey, Johnson, can I talk to you for a second?" Aaron asked Jackson.  
"Sure. And it's Jackson." Percy said, getting up.  
"Be right back." Aaron leaned down and kissed Annabeth on the cheek. Percy felt a pang of sorrow in his chest. Percy followed Aaron to a dark corner where Jamba Juice and Swirl It met. Aaron shoved Percy into the corner, which, after the past twelve years of fighting for his life, caused Percy to reach for Riptide. He then remembered that Aaron was probably a mortal and that they were in public, so he left Riptide alone.

 **Soooo? How'd you like the reboot? I changed a lot and so I did my writing style. Lemme know what I can do to make it better!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

 **PERCY**

"Stay away from her." Aaron threatened, shoving Percy further against the wall.  
"What do you mean?" Percy demanded, confused.  
"I see the way you look at her. She's mine. Don't forget that." Aaron looked Percy in the eyes, filling him with a familiar fear. Percy looked down to break the eye contact.

"Sorry, man. She used to be my best friend and I haven't seen her in six years. If there's something between me and Annabeth, it's friendship." Percy explained. Aaron scoffed and walked away. Percy followed after taking a breath. Annabeth perked up seeing them.  
"What'd you guys talk about?" She asked when they got close enough to hear her.  
"Nothing you need to worry about," Aaron replied quickly, a warning in his voice. Annabeth looked confused but there was panic in her eyes. Thankfully, Aaron's phone rang.  
"Sorry. I gotta answer this. Be right back." Aaron walked off talking on his phone. Percy turned to Annabeth.

"What was that?" He asked. Annabeth didn't look at him.  
"He likes his privacy. I shouldn't have asked." She looked at the waves, eyes squinting.  
"Bullshit. Annabeth, did you forget that I know you better than that?" Percy pressed. She sighed and turned to face him.  
"It's been five years, Percy. People change. You don't know me as well anymore." Annabeth replied, agitated. She saw Aaron point to the bathroom before he walked in and nodded. Percy scooted closer to her.

"We both know that's bullshit. You were scared. I saw it. Don't lie to me. Let me help you, Wisegirl." He said softly. She looked at him for a second, then kissed him. They broke apart staring at each other wide-eyed. Annabeth shook her head.  
"I-I-I'm sorry." She looked at her feet. Percy nudged her with his elbow.

"It's okay. Old emotions are flooding back. I've probably been acting like I did when we were younger too. That probably isn't making anything better." Percy explained, surprising Annabeth.

"When did you get so smart?" She said, bumping his shoulder.  
"Aaron's coming," Percy said in response. "And for your information, I've always been smart. It just didn't show because my head was too full of kelp." Percy said, matter-of-factly with a slight nod. Annabeth started laughing, followed by Percy. Aaron sat down confused.  
"Joke I missed?" They stopped laughing just enough that Annabeth could speak.  
"He loves the water, so whenever I got the chance, I reminded him that his head was full of kelp. That's why his nickname is Seaweed Brain." She said, anxiously messing with her hands. Percy sometimes forgot that she had ADHD too. Aaron nodded.

"Well, we should get going." He said, a warning in his voice, looking at Annabeth pointedly. Annabeth looked at Percy, then back at Aaron.

"Why? We have nothing else to do. We're always at home if we're not at work. Plus, it's a nice day. Sit back down and talk with us." Annabeth said, a hint of defiance in her voice. Percy could tell she was scared. It was just enough that Percy could tell, after having her memorized for so long. Aaron's eyes flashed and for a moment, Percy swore he saw flames. Aaron stood up and looked Annabeth in the eyes, anger visibly boiling in his.

"We are leaving. Now, Annabeth." He said in a low voice, sending a shiver of fear through Annabeth. She gulped and took a shaky breath.

"You can go home if you want, but I'm staying here." She said, barely shaking. Aaron got visibly angrier. He grabbed Annabeth's wrist and pulled her up roughly.

"Enough playing, Annabeth. Let's go," He growled. Annabeth cried out in pain. Percy shot up, quickly getting between the two. He stared Aaron in the eyes.

"Don't. You. Dare." Percy's voice an enraged whisper. Percy tore Aaron's hand from Annabeth's wrist. Then chaos ensued.

 **So sorry for the short chapter! I will work on making the chapters longer but I have school to worry about, college stuff, and a job so spending my time will only become more frugal. I am going to try to post whenever I can but expect the chapters to come flooding in for a bit then maybe once a week or once every two weeks. I will definitely try to keep the updates coming. See you in the next chapter!**


	3. New Plan

Hey guys, I'm gonna try something. I will post once a day, every day except Wednesdays and Saturdays. I will try SUPER hard to make this work. Have a great night y'all!~ Addie


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

 **ANNABETH**

Aaron threw the first punch. Then the next. And the next. Finally, Percy processed what was happening and swung hard enough to knock Aaron on his ass. Aaron yelled, getting back up and tackling Percy, who had been trained for fights so he quickly gained the upper hand. Percy didn't do much to harm Aaron, but focused his strength in holding Aaron down, which didn't quite work. Aaron finally took advantage of the fact that he had his elbow on a rock and flipped them around, gaining the upper hand.

He threw punch after punch, leaving Annabeth screaming for him to stop. She ran over and grabbed Aaron's arm, trying desperately to stop Aaron from doing further harm to Percy. In the process, she got hit hard in the face. She flew backward into the sand, blood dripping from her nose. She saw two men trying to get Aaron off of Percy while a young brunette woman was asking if she was alright. She was on the phone, probably with the police but all Annabeth heard was ringing. The two men finally got Aaron off of Percy, who was screaming and trying to fight them off but two women helped hold him down.

Annabeth observed a crowd of at least thirty people recording the incident, laughing and telling Percy to get up and fight or telling Aaron to kick Percy's ass. Percy slowly got up, his face bloody and bruised, and turned his attention to Annabeth. Once it registered to him that her nose was bloody, his face turned to panic and he crawled towards her. She suddenly was filled with rage. She got up and stormed over to Aaron, being held down by now four men and three women.

She got in his face and looked him in the eyes. His shone with anger but this time, she was too furious to feel fear. They had a staredown until Annabeth finally lifted her hand and struck him across the face. It took a second for the shock to set in but the moment it did, Aaron flew into a fit, causing three more people to run over and hold him. He kept screaming at her, calling her unsavory names.

She heard sirens and saw an ambulance drive up to where Percy was sitting, two women were trying to keep him down on the ground to keep him from injuring himself further. Four police walked up, ushering the crowd away. One, a small Latino woman walked right over to Annabeth.

"Ma'am, I need you to answer a few questions regarding the incident. Can you do that?" She asked, pulling Annabeth back to the picnic bench they were sitting at before the fight. Annabeth nodded. She saw the paramedics tending to Percy's face. She answered the police woman's questions, keeping her eyes on Percy as a police officer questioned him. The three officers spoke for a while, then returned to their respectful witness. Then the question came.

"Ma'am, I need to ask you a question and I need you to be completely honest." Annabeth looked up.  
"Okay."  
"Has your boyfriend ever hit you?"  
"No." Annabeth used to be able to lie but after the break up she lost the skill and never fully gained it back.  
"Ma'am, please. You can tell us and he won't be able to hurt you anymore. Either way, Ms. Chase, it's you or him. Mr. Jackson is fine so charges can't be pressed. We have agreed that you or he needs to be locked up for your safety. Please let it be him." Officer Orantes explained.  
"No. He just yells at me." Annabeth lied.  
"Ma'am you do realize that you could be arrested for obstructing justice?" Orantes asked, knowing that Annabeth was still scared. Annabeth looked up and they locked eyes. A silent agreement passed.  
"Yes. I do."  
"Then you realize you're under arrest?"  
"Yes." The officer put the handcuffs on her and escorted her to the car. Percy and Aaron were dumbfounded.  
"Why is she being arrested?" Percy asked, frantically.  
"She withheld information, therefore, obstructing justice. She broke the law and now, she is being taken into custody." The officer put her into the back of the police car. Her partner got into the car and they sped away.

 **Later**

Annabeth sat in her cell. She was allowed one phone call. She dialed Aaron's cell, knowing that he would be furious if she called Percy, though that was her first instinct. She waited but he never answered. Countless hours later, officer Orantes came, with a slight smile on her face.  
"You've been bailed out Ms. Chase. You're free to go." She expected to see Aaron standing there to take her home but instead she saw Percy standing there, worry blazing in his eyes. He looked much better than earlier, though his face was still turning various shades of purple. She ran into him almost knocking him over. He embraced her, holding her tightly. He looked up and mouthed a quick thanks to officer Orantes. She spoke up.

"Mr. Jackson? I need to speak with you before you leave. It will only take a minute." She looked expectantly at a door. Percy nodded and squeezed Annabeth once more before following the officer. Once the door was shut, she spoke.

"I need you to find out what happens at home with Ms. Chase and Mr. Smith. It's clear that he is abusive but she is too scared to tell authorities what all is happening. It's clear that she trusts you, so we will need you to find out and come directly to me with the information. I know it seems like a betrayal, but it is for her safety." She explained. Percy looked lost in thought but nodded. She handed him a card with her work number on it. She opened the door and he put the card in his pocket. Annabeth looked up, obviously waiting to leave but there was something else in her eyes. It was hardly noticeable but knowing her as long as he had, he saw it clear as day, though he couldn't quite place it.  
"Annabeth? Are you okay?" Percy asked, worry hanging in his voice, making their way to his car. She looked down.  
"I guess I'm just tired after what all happened today." They got into the car.  
"Can I ask you a question? And you have to answer honestly." He asked looking at her. She looked nervous.  
"Yeah sure." She replied, fidgeting with the sleeves of her sweater. Percy fidgeted. "Does Aaron hit you? You're still my best friend and I want to make sure that you're safe. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to you and I could have prevented it."  
"Percy, I..." She started, shaking her head slightly.  
"Annabeth. Do you trust me?" He asked, cutting her off.  
Her shoulders sagged. "Yes. I trust you."  
"Then tell me. Let me help you." He whispered, reaching over to grab her hand. She looked at their fingers, interlocking from muscle memory left over from the time that their hearts were interlocked as well.  
"Yes." It was all she said. It was all she needed to say. Percy gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. He felt a rage that he hadn't felt since Tartarus. He looked over at her and that rage diminished and morphed into a sense that he needed to protect her, no matter what. He saw her lip trembling and she started to cry silently, tears slipping down her face. Percy leaned over and pulled her to his chest. She was no longer silent, filling the car with heartbroken sobs. After a few minutes, the front of Percy's shirt was completely soaked.  
"Sorry about your shirt." Annabeth sniffed, wiping her eyes. Percy shrugged.  
"As long as I have no snot on me, I'm good." He looked at her, a smile playing on his lips. Annabeth had a horrible and wonderful idea and wiped her nose, clearing her hand of the snot on Percy's arm. He looked at her in playful disgust.  
"EEEEEEEEEWWWWWWW!" He yelled wiping it off on her, causing her to laugh. She wiped it off with a napkin from the glove compartment. He caressed her hair, knowing how much she needed to relax for a little bit. She looked at him for a second and they seemed to come to an unspoken agreement. They both leaned in. Annabeth was held in awe for a moment as she realized how much she had missed him and missed the feeling of his hands in her hair and on her back. She let herself melt into him, finally feeling at peace.

 **AARON**

Aaron came to bail Annabeth out but as he parked he saw her and Percy talking in his car. Finally, they leaned in and kissed. He quickly took a picture as proof and looked down at his cell for a while. After a while, his cell started blaring. He picked up knowing Annabeth was calling.  
"Hey, Percy bailed me out. He's going to drive me home, okay?" He heard her voice, timid and quiet over the line.  
"Actually, I have to help my sister so I won't be home. Just stay at Jackson's house. I'll be home in the morning. Okay?" He lied. If she went home right away he was sure he would beat her to death. She was silent.  
"I-okay. Are you sure?"  
"Yeah. And plus you left your keys at home." He spoke quietly, with no emotion in his voice.  
"All right. I'll see you in the morning."

"I love you." Aaron grinned, knowing how it would affect Percy to her Annabeth say it to someone else.

"Love you too." She seemed to have trouble saying it.  
"Bye," He hung up, pulling out of the parking lot.

 **ANNABETH**

"Love you too." She said into the phone. She heard Percy sigh. She put away her phone and looked at him.  
"What's wrong?" She asked.  
"Nothing." He replied shaking his head and turning the ignition.  
"Percy, don't lie to me. Tell me." Percy ignored her command and backed out of the parking spot and into the street.  
"What's your address?" He asked, minding the road.  
"Oh, Aaron said to stay the night at your house because he's at his sister's helping her with something and I forgot my keys in the house." She explained.  
"Oh okay." Being this close to him made it hard to breathe. She didn't know how she would survive the night. They drove in silence. They went into the house in silence too.  
"Percy, are you sure you're okay?" She asked once the door was shut. He turned to look at her for the first time since the car. She could see that he was not, in fact, okay, by the look in his eyes. He looked broken almost. She took a step towards him and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her small frame, resting his chin on her head, smelling her hair. She smelled like lemons and vanilla with a slight hint of something he couldn't place. The same as when they had met. He had thought she was pretty then, but now she had grown into a full grown woman and he couldn't believe that she thought he was good enough to talk to her. She wasn't supermodel material. She had meat on her bones, but most of that was muscle. When they were younger, she would forget to brush her hair sometimes. She seemed to remember every day now.

He wondered when she had started dating again. He was still too broken up about the break up five years after. One of his coworkers had tried to set him up on a dating app but he couldn't stop thinking about Annabeth. He regretted leaving her and everything he said out of anger. His mom got him therapy with a psychologist whose father was Hypnos. She was kind and she listened well, though she was always hyped up on coffee so she wouldn't fall asleep. She walked him through Tartarus and everything that happened down there. The only thing he couldn't work through was Annabeth thinking he had abandoned her and scaring her when he tried to drown Akhlys in her own poison. He couldn't forgive himself for letting her feel that fear and pain. He still couldn't. He wanted to pack up all of his things, sell his house and take Annabeth with him back to Manhattan to keep her away from Aaron. He turned his head and kissed her temple.

"Where do you want to sleep tonight? I have a couch, and a spare bedroom, take your pick." He said, finally letting her go. She looked at him then at the ground and mumbled.

"Hm?" Percy tilted her chin up gently with his finger and looked her in the eyes. She looked away again, not seeming to be able to hold his gaze.

"Can I stay with you?" She whispered, her voice shaking. Percy didn't understand.

"I thought you were staying overnight?" He asked. She shook her head.

"I am but I… I don't want to… I can't sleep alone, Percy. I need a light on and someone beside me so I can syncopate my breathing to theirs. It's the only way I can sleep." She explained, rushing through as though she could hardly say them. She took a deep breath."I know that it's gonna be awkward and-"

"No, it won't. If you need to share my bed, we will share my bed. If you need to share my house, by all means, I will put your name on the deed. If you need anything, I will make sure you have it." He spoke soft, barely above a whisper. He leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers. "I will do anything for you. I know that I fucked up when I left you in Central Park. I was angry and hurt." His voice cracked. "But in the end, it was better for me. My mom got me help and I've been okay since. You saved me, Annabeth. You saved me in Tartarus and during the second Titan war. You saved me when I went to the Styx. You saved me in the Labyrinth. You're the only reason I'm still alive and I owe you my life. Just ask and I'll make sure you get whatever it is you ask for." His voice was shaky, and she could see how upset he was in his eyes.

"I can't believe you think I saved you that many times. It was always me that needed saving. And it was always you that showed up to rescue me like some knight in shining armor or some shit. I've been worrying about you since the day we broke up but I've been too much of a pansy-ass to get ahold of you because I was afraid you were still mad." She wouldn't meet his gaze. He lifted her chin, but she turned her head away, closing her eyes.

"Percy… I'm sorry. For everything I've ever done or-"

"Stop. Why are you apologizing? You've never done anything to-"

"I told your mom! I slept with you to MANIPULATE you to talk to me about something you CLEARLY didn't want to! I moved on! I have the AUDACITY to ask to spend the night with you in YOUR BED because I CAN'T SLEEP! I've taken so much of your energy and time, Percy! Can't you see that?! And you keep letting me! It was probably better for you before we met again." She was crying. It broke Percy's heart to see her think this low of herself. He pulled her to him, she fought for a few seconds but finally let him hold her.

"That's never how I saw it. You helped me by telling my mom. I was contemplating suicide, Annabeth. Therapy kept me from doing that. And you were worried about me. Do I wish our first time had been because we were ready and wanted to because we loved each other? Yeah, I do. But I don't regret losing my virginity to you, Wisegirl. I moved on too. I had two girlfriends and a boyfriend in college and I could never stay with them because they weren't you. Finally, I gave up and decided to get a dog and I'd just give up on being with someone. I can't be with anyone but you. It never works. I'd do anything for you, Annabeth. I was simply surviving until I found you again. After that morning on the beach, I started living again. I was living for the next time I got to see you. I knew you were taken, but as long as I got to see you, talk to you again, I was fine." Annabeth was still crying, but her tears were slow and silent. Percy kissed the top of her head.

"Don't think for a second that I regret being with you. The only regret I have about you is leaving you. To be honest, I wasn't even mad for a full day. I just couldn't find you to ask you to take me back. I was willing to beg for you to take me back and to come back but you never came back to either camp and all of our friends said they didn't know where you were. Piper finally told me to stop asking."

"I asked them not to tell you. I was ashamed that I went behind your back and I didn't think I could face you." She turned her face into his shoulder. They were sitting on the floor, Annabeth in Percy's lap, their legs a tangled mess. They sat there in silence for a few more minutes. Zeke came downstairs, his tail wagging at the thought of a new friend to play with. He sat down right next to them and nuzzled Annabeth's arm with his nose. She laughed.

" Remember Cerberus? He's still waiting for you to play with him again." Percy laughed. Annabeth turned her head to look at him.

"How do you know that?" She asked, Zeke practically climbing on her.

"Nico let me know. He told me that if I ever saw you again, I needed to tell you. He was adamant about it."

"You're still in touch with Nico? How is he? Are he and Will still together?" She was excited to hear about Nico. She had asked him to help her hide from Percy. He was hesitant but she had been stubborn about it. No one could change her mind.

"Yeah, I'm actually his daughter's Godfather. And yeah, they're still together. They aren't married but they adopted a little girl about a year ago. Her name's Clara. She's a little blonde Italian girl. Fitting, right?" He chuckled. Annabeth smiled, seeing how much he loved the little girl.

"Anyway, you must be tired. Do you need anything?" He asked getting up, extending his hand to help her up. She grabbed it and pulled herself up.

"Actually, I do. But I need you to help me." She said, in a manner that Percy recognized. She was planning something, the blueprints unfolding in her mind. He agreed, blindly leaping into her plan.

 **Better length? What do you think Annabeth needs his help with? What do you think about Nico and Will having a little girl? Lemme know!**


	5. OOF

Soooo, I suck. Really bad. I get it. However, I do intend to write a lot more now that I've graduated high school. I have been working on the story but writers block has stabbed me in the back more than Julius Caesar. Let me get over this bump in the road and I will be updating ASAP. Anyway, that plan I came up with, isn't realistic. I wrote that in a bout of confidence that shouldn't have happened. However, I do intend to post once a week once I get on track. Anyway, I gotta get going, I have sleep to catch up on, writers block to battle to the death, and books to fill my black and empty soul with. See ya on the flip side!

~Addie


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